Home at Last
by SapphireAtalanta
Summary: All Astrid wanted was to be home, but it wasn't home without him.


She was surrounded by white light. A bright, breezy kind of white though, the kind of light that shines through early morning mist. The air was light and fresh, filled with scents she recognised with fondness. Honeysuckle, summer rain, hints of pine. Wait pine? That seemed kind of strange. The more she looked around the clearer things became. The light mist melted slowly away as soft sunlight filtered through the leafy branches hanging overhead.

She was standing in a clearing. Mossy boulders, tall pine trees, and a beautiful lake, the water sending shards of reflected light dancing against the edges of the cliffs surrounding the clearing. The scent of honeysuckle faded as she took a deep breath. She closed her eyes feeling calm and sleepy.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard the rustling of footsteps over grass behind her. She turned to face the ever fading wall of mist. She squinted as she saw a figure stepping slowly towards her. The sunlight pierced through the mist outlining the figure more clearly. Her heart stopped.

The person flashed a crooked grin. Her face shifted through several different emotions, before it creased into a soft grin, tears beginning to cloud her vision. The young man raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck, a blush creeping up his neck, along his creamy pale skin. She stood and just drank in the vision before her. His somewhat messy auburn hair, glossy in the gentle light; she noticed with a heartfelt pang the small braids still there near the base of his neck, her eyes moved up to his face. The fair skin, scattered lightly with adorable freckles, his lips; slightly pink, his nose, his strong jawline; shadowed with slight stubble and finally his big, beautiful eyes. The deepest shade of emerald green; showing flecks of gold when the light caught his face just right, fringed by long dark lashes and his auburn eyebrows, thick but shaped; and like everything else on his face, perfectly suited. His grin widened slightly as she took a tentative step towards him. _Did I ever tell him just how attractive he is?_ She wondered.

It took her a moment before her brain caught up to her heart. Before another second passed she had leapt forward and thrown her arms around his neck. _I have waited too long._ He laughed as her arms ensnared him. He wrapped his arms around her waist in a long awaited embrace. She buried her face in the junction between his neck and his shoulder and breathed deeply, savouring his scent. _Leather and pine needles._ The smell went straight to her heart and buried itself there, overwhelming her and welcoming her. The scent of love. A welcome and safe scent which raised one word. Home.

He himself was overcome by what he had missed for so long. Her blonde hair, soft skin and throbbing heart telling him one thing. Love. Everything about her told him what he had already known and returned willingly. _I love you, I've missed you, and I love you so much…_

She finally drew back to look up into his face, a sight that she would never grow tired of no matter how many time she saw it. Azure blue melted into emerald green and they simply stood, drowning in each other and drinking up the love radiating from the intense gazes they shared. She smiled and laughed, he smiled back. Laughter rang out through the clearing, high tinkling mixing with lower. She wrapped him in her embrace once more, which he fell into more than happily. He picked her up and swung her around. She laughed loudly, finally able to let her inner sunshine glow as it always did around him, without fail. His laughs matched hers. He swung her around once more before setting her on her feet.

She looked up, eyes shining, his sparkling with joy. His surprisingly soft hands went to the sides of her face. He gently brushed a stray strand of golden hair off her face with his thumb. She brought one of her own hands up and laid it softly on top of his. They both leaned in. He brushed his forehead against hers, his hand tenderly caressing her cheek. 'I missed you.' He murmured. She closed her eyes and pushed her forehead closer to his, feeling as if she couldn't get close enough.

'I missed you too.' She breathed back, her warm breath tickling his face. She suddenly couldn't wait a moment longer. She pushed her face forward and their lips met. Sparks exploded in the pit of her stomach as she drew ever closer. He reacted to her kiss, gently at first, then more desperately. It had been too long. She moved her lips against his, gripping him like a lifeline, the only thing she would ever want was to stay here with him. His feelings mirrored hers.

He finally drew back, resting his forehead against hers, his fingers entwined with hers by their sides. He looked deeply into her eyes, her looking just as deeply back. In their eyes there was only longing, tenderness and unconditional, everlasting love. 'And now we are together…'

'Till the end of eternity.' She finished for him. He smiled once more.

'I waited for you Astrid.'

'I knew you would, Hiccup.'

And for the first time in 5 years, Astrid felt like she had finally come home.


End file.
